Dredge.



W. FERRIS da P. R. PARKER. DREDGE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1909.

997,247. Patented July 4, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

. un I A W. PFRRIS & P. R. PARKER.

DREDGE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1909.

Patented July 4, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

we M

f @M-W o., WASH INnTON,

COLUMBIA PMNDGRAPH c W. FBRRIS da P. R. PARKER. DRBDGB.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNI. 1, 1909. 997,247, Patented July 4, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W. FBRRIS z P. R. PARKER.

DREDGE.

APPLIOATION FILED .111111: 1, 1909.

' Patented July 4, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

COLUMBIA FLRNOURAFH C0.. www. D. n

W. FBRRIS & P. R. PARKER.

DREDGE.

APPLICATION FILED' JUNE 1, 1909.

Patented July 4, 1911.

s sums-gum' a.

Zullen/Larga wf mUMBlA ELANOGI'LAPH CD., WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER FERRIS, OF SOUTH MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, AND PAUL REVERE PARKER, 0FSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE BUCYRUS COMPANY, 0F SOUTHMILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION-OF WISCONSIN.

DREDGE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALTER FERRIs and PAUL It. PARKER, citizens of theUnited States, the former residing at South Milwaukee, county ofMilwaukee, State of Wisconsin, and the latter residing at San Francisco,county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Dredges; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to dredges, and more especially dredges which areused in carrying on excavations in a canal, such as widening ordeepening the canal.

The primary object of the invention is to provide improved means foranchoring` and swinging the dredge and for advancing the same at the endof each traverse. improved swinging and advancing means is of such acharacter that it may be employed in connection with dredges doing riverand harbor work, as well as canal dredges.

In dredges as generally built, where the hull is swung to and fro on aspud acting as a pivot, the anchorages for swinging are obtained byleading ropes ashore from points near the bow at each side of the dredgeand fastening such ropes to trees or other stationary objects which aresuffi- `ciently firm to stand the pull. These ropes are wound on winchdrums op-erated by power on the dredge itself, and by winding in onerope and payingout the opposite rope, the bow of the dredge 'can beswung to the right or left. The difficulty in obtaining such anchorageshas been a serious drawback to the use of the elevator type of dredge,either for digging in river or harbor work where the shores are distant,or in broad marshy river bottoms, where there are few or no trees andwhere the earth is frequently so soft that anchors are difficult totransport and will not hold when placed. To avoid these difficulties, wehave devised a dredge, preferably of the elevator-conveyer type, whichis provided with self-contained means whereby the hull may be swung tothe right or left or advanced, such means providing for the firm supportof the hull during excavation and for the forc- Specication of LettersPatent.

Application filed June 1, 1909.

TheV

Patented July 4, 1911.

Serial No. 499,443.

ing of the excavator into the cut as the work progresses.

In carrying out this invention, the hull may have pivoted to the deckthereof a cross beam or girder which traverses the deck and extendsbeyond the same at both ends, said ends of the cross beam or girderbeing equipped with anchoring' spuds which can be raised and lowered byany suitable mechanism. The ends of the cross beam or girder areconnected by ropes or cables with the forward part or bow of the hull,and during the excavation the spuds are firmly anchored in the earth,the rope or cable connections just referred to being so operated bymeans of suitable swinging machinery as to force the excavator in alateral direction into the cut. The advance of the dredge, when such isnecessary, may be effected by pulling up one of the spuds and by soacting on the swinging connection at that end of the cross beam orgirder, that said end is advanced, in order to pull the hull forward toa. certain extent. The raised spud is then lowered and the sameoperation is repeated at the opposite ,side of the dredge in order toadvance the opposite end of the cross beam or girder to the same extentas the first named end and thus complete the advance movement, afterwhich the raised spud is lowered. In order to provide against thelateral swinging of the dredge during its advance, a trailing spud orsimilar device is used at the stern, as will appear more fully from thefollowing description.

In the accompanying drawing, in which a preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated, Figure l is a side elevation of the dredge,showing the same as used in canal excavation, Fig. la is a detail of oneof the brackets embodied in the swinging tackle, F ig. 2 is a top planview of the dredge showing how the excavator is forced laterally intothe cut, Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken at a point in advance ofthe conveyers which carry off the excavated material, F ig. 4 is adetail elevation of the cross beam or girder and the digging spuds withwhich it is equipped, Fig. 5 is a top plan view of F ig. 1 showing thewinch drums as mounted on the cross beam or girder, Fig. 6 is adiagrammatic view showing a modified arrangement of cross beam anddigging spuds, and Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the manner 1n which thedredge 1s advanced as the work progresses.

The dredge illustrated in the drawing is of the type used especially incanal excavation and it is provided at the bow with an endless bucketexcavator which delivers the excavated material on to two laterallyextending conveyers operative to discharge the material upon oppositebanks of the canal. However, it is to be understood that the particulartype of dredge hull and of the excavating machinery forms no part of thepresent invention, which is chiefly concerned with the mechanism forcausing the traverse of the dredge and its advance for each suchtraverse.

In the drawing, the dredge hull 8 is shown as being essentiallyfish-shaped in plan, which adapts it particularly for canal excavation;and at the bow of the hull is' arranged the endless bucket excavator 9which operates in a cut away portion 10 at the bow of the hull anddelivers the excavated material into a hopper 11 carried at the forwardend'of the frame work 12, from which hopper the excavated earth isdischarged on to endless conveyers 13, 14, which project laterally fromthe dredge and discharge the earth upon the banks of the canal, asshown'in Fig. 3. The excavator 9 is driven from a main prime mover orengine 15 carried by the hull and supplied with steam from a boiler 16,the excavator being driven from said engine by means of an endless chain17. The endless conveyers are d riven by an engine 18. Theexcavator 9embodies a ladder 19 which may be adjusted vertically by means of thetackle 20 which is suspended from the forwardly inclined frame 21 at thebow.

The invention consists in providing upon the deck of the hull ananchoring structure such as a cross beam or girder 22, the ends of whichproject laterally beyond the sides of the hull, as shown in Fig. 2, andsuch cross beam or girder is pivoted or swiveled to the hull by means ofa pintle 23 extending upward through a post 24 placed on the cross beamat the center, the upper end of the pintle 23 being journaled betweenthe main truss members at the top of the frame 12, as indicated at 25.At the ends of the cross beam 22 the same is equipped with verticallymovable spuds 26 which are firmly anchored inthe earth when the diggingis carried on, and which we therefore term digging spuds. Said spuds areraised and lowered byany well known mechanism, which need not bedescribed in detail here, but iut may be stated that in the embodimentshown said mechanism comprises ropes 27 and 28 which are operated fromwinch drums 29, 30, placed on the upper surface of the cross beam at itsintermediate portion. Each rope is wound about its drum and the endportions thereof are led over suitable sheaves 280 on the girder ends toand over sheaves 281, 282 on the corresponding spud, above and below thegirder respectively, both extremities of the rope being attached to thegirder as indicated in Fig. 4. In this way, a winding up of the portionof the rope passing over the Spud, viz., over the upper sheave 281, byrotating the drum in one direction, will force the spud down, theportion of the rope passing under the lower spud sheave 282 beingcorrespondingly paid out; and a movement of the drum in the oppositedirection will wind up the last named portion of the rope and therebyraise the Spud, the portion of the rope passing over the top sheave 281being paid out correspondingly. The drums 29, 30 are driven from anengine 31 supported on the cross beam at the side, as shown in Fig. 2,and by driving these drums in proper direction the raising and loweringof the spuds 26 can be effected in the well known manner.

Located between the winch drums 29 and 30 and also driven from theengine 31 on the cross beam, is a third winch drum 32, as best shown inFig. 5, and from said drum 32 ropes or cables 33, 34 are run oversheaves 35, 36, located at the ends of the cross beam, the ropes 33, 34,being carried over these sheaves and to the forward end of the hull,where they are passed over sheaves 37, 38, respectively carried bybrackets 39, 40 at the bow, whence theropes are conducted rearwardly andsecured to the ends of the cross beam, as shown in Fig. 2.

The brackets 39, 40, are formed of triangular frames which are mountedto turn about vertical axes. The pivot shaft of each bracket is uprightand journaled at its ends in the deck and in a bearing carried by theforwardly sloping suspension frame 21, as shown in Fig. 1a. The lowerouter end of each bracket frame carries the sheave (37 or 38) over whichthe rope or cable (33 or'34) at that side of the dredge is passed, andthese ends of the bracket frames are connected by means of guy ropes orchains 4l, 42 with the excavator ladder 19 at points near the lowertumbler, as shown in Figs. lland 2.

At the stern of the hull there is provided a trailing spud 43, of wellknown form, actuated by means of a rope 44 from the main engine 15, asbest shown in Fig. 1.

The mode of operation of the improved dredge is as followsz-lVhen theexcavation is in progress both of the digging spuds are firmly anchoredin the earth, and as the hull is only attached to the spud girder orcross beam by means of the pintle or pivot and swinging tackle abovedescribed, the spud girder and spuds act as a separate and stato holdt-he dredge in line with the canal and prevent it from swinginglaterally under the influence of the wind when one of the digging spuds26 is raised. When the stern spud is down and the dredge is to beadvanced, it is only necessary to raise one of the digging spuds andthen haul in the swinging rope (33 or 34) on the same side as the raisedspud. Through the connection of said rope with the lateral bracket andexcavator ladder as hereinbefore described the free end of the spudgirder will be moved forwardly relatively to the hull, the other Spudwhich still remains in the earth acting as a pivot while the entiredredge hull will be moved forward one-half of the distance moved throughby the free end of the spud girder, it being remembered that the pivotis arranged at the center of said girder. This movement of the hull isshown diagrammatically in Fig. 7 in which the oblique position reachedby the spud girder is indi cated in dotted lines. The elevated or freespud is then lowered into the earth and the other one raised, afterwhich the swinging tackle at the opposite side of the dredge is hauledin in the same way, thus moving the dredge forward until the spud girderis at right angles to the axis of the canal, as is also indicated indotted lines in Fig. 7. The i second digging spudf is then run down intothe earth, the stern spud is raised, and the dredge is ready for anothertraverse.

The object of the lateral bracket at the bow which is interposed betweenthe girder and the excavator ladder is to act as a deflector in thetension member, considered as a whole, extending from the end of thespud girder to the ladder near the lower tumbler. Tf this tension memberwere to consist solely of the swinging tackle, it would foul the bow ofthe dredge when the ladder is in low positions. By interposing aswinging bracket on each side, the swinging tackle is kept in ahorizontal position and clear o-f the hull, while the connection to theladder consists of a single strand of heavy rope or chain, as previouslydescribed.

During the movement of the spud girder or cross beam relatively to thehull the former is supported in rolling contact with the latter by meansof small rollers 22X applied to the under surface of the spud girdernear the ends, as shown in Fig. 4. In this manner the spud girder notonly moves over the deck with a minimum of friction, but it is preventedfrom bending or buckling under the downward pull on the ends of thegirder due to the anchoring of the dredge.

The above described method of moving ahead is not the only one which canbe employed. The stern spud can be rigged as a walking spud, as clearlydescribed in Patent No. 428,141, granted on May 20, 1890 to A. W.Robinson, and such a spud furnishes the power to move the dredge aheadby its own mechanism. When such a spud is employed, both of the diggingspuds can be raised at once, if desired, and the dredge pushed ahead bythe stern Spud.

A variation in the arrangement of the digging spuds is illustrateddiagrammatically in Fig. 6. Such a construction is used in diggingcanals where there is a sloping bank, which can be taken hold of withbetter advantage by a sloping spud than by a vertical spud. The twosloping spuds 45 and 46 extend through the ends of a cross beam orgirder 47, and said spuds intersect each other near' the centerof thedredge. Said spuds are slidable through sleeves or casings- 48 extendingupward from the gir der 47 and located on opposite sides of thepintle-post 49 which extends upward from the center of the girder. Inthis way a more economical arrangement of the spud girder and supportingframe is obtained, as the intersection of the spud casings with thecentral pintle on which the spud frame revolves avoids heavy torsionalstrains, which must be taken by the girder when the spuds are vertical.The spuds are provided at their lower ends with feet 50 adapted to takehold of the sloping bank of the canal, such feet being articulated bymeans of the universal joints 51, and also being provided with knifeedges 52 which are forced into the bank in order to hold said feetfirmly in position.

So far as we are aware, we are the first to provide a dredge with anindependent pivot struct-ure which is mounted on the deck and carriesthe digging spuds, said structure being connected with means by whichthe dredge may be swung to and fro, and our claims should receive acorrespondingly broad interpretation.

It is obvious that changes in the details of the construction, such, forinstance, as in the location of the winch drums for operating thedigging spuds and swinging tackle, and the engine for operating saiddrums, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

hat we claim is l. A dredge having advancing and traversing meansincluding a laterally swinging transversely-extending element on thedeck of the dredge, and power operated cables connecting said elementwith opposite sides of the dredge hull.

2. A dredge having advancing means which .comprises an anchoringstructure extending across and swiveled on the deck.

3. A dredge having an anchoring structure mounted on and extendingacross the deck thereof and carrying digging spuds by which the dredgeis anchored, and means to swing the dredge laterally with respect tosaid structure.

4. A dredge having an anchoring structure extending across the deck, andmeans for swinging the dredge with respect to said structure to traversethe dredge.

5. A dredgehaving an anchoring structure pivoted to the deck thereof,power operated mechanism-connected directly with said structure and bymeans of which the dredgeis swung laterally in either direction withsaid anchoring structure as a stationary pivot, and excavating mechanismcarried directly by the dredge hull.

6. A dredge having an anchoring structure pivoted on the deck thereof,digging spuds carried by said structure at opposite sides of the hullandoperative to anchor said structure firmly in the earth, and means forswinging the dredge with respect to said st-ructure when the latter isanchored.

7. In a dredge, the combination of a hull, an excavator carried thereby,a structure carried by the dredge and by means of which it is anchored,and means connected directly to said structure to swing the dredge withrespect to the latter and thereby force the excavator laterally into thecut.

8. In a dredge, anexcavator at the bow of the hull, an anchoringstructure carried by and extending across the hull, and swingingmechanism in connection with said anchoring structure and by means ofwhich said excavator is forced into the cut.

9. In a dredge, a cross beam or girder traversing the deck of the dredgeand provided at opposite ends with anchoring devices, and mechanism toswing the dredge as a whole in lateral direction with respect to saidcross beam or girder.

10. In adredge, a cross beam or girder swiveled to the deck of the hulland extending at both ends beyond the sides of the hull, digging spudscarried by the ends of the cross beam or girder, and swinging mechanismvconnecting said cross beam or girder with the bow of the hull.

11. In a dredge,-a cross beam or girder :swiveled to the deck of thehull and extending at both ends beyond the sides of the hull, diggingspuds carried by the ends of said cross beam or girder, and swingingmechanism connecting said cross beam or girder with the bow of the hull,comprising power operated cables at opposite sides of the dredge.

12. In a dredge, a Spud-carrying cross beam or girder, and swingingmachinery comprising cables connecting the ends of said girder withopposite sides of the hull.

13. In a dredge, a girder swiveled on the hull, anchoring spuds at theends of said girder, power operated mechanism to raise and lower saidspuds, and power operated mechanism to swing the dredge as a whole withrespect to the spud girder when the latter is anchored.

14. In a dredge, a spud girder swiveled on the deck and extending at itsends beyond the sides of t-he hull, digging spuds carried at the ends ofsaid girder, and operating mechanism for said spuds comprising winchdrums on the girder.

15. In a dredge, a hull, a spud girder swiveled thereto and extending atits ends beyond the sides of the same, digging spuds carried at the endsof said girder, operating mechanism for said spuds comprising winchdrums on the girder, and a third winch drum on the girder havingconnections with the girder and hull by means of which the latter can beswung bodily with respect to the girder when said spuds are lowered.

16. In a dredge, a spud girder which extends across the deck and isswiveled thereto, digging spuds carried by said girder, mechanism forswinging the hull with respect to said girder when the latter isanchored, and a trailing spud at the stern of the dredge.

17. In a dredge, a spud girder which traverses the deck and is swiveledthereto, lateral brackets at the bow of the hull, a power operated winchdrum on said girder, and cables passing from said drum and forming aconnection between the ends of the girder and said lateral brackets.

18. In a dredge, an endless bucket excavator at the bow of the hull, ananchoring girder on the deck of the hull and with respect to which thehull has a swinging movement, and connections between said girder andthe ladder of said excavator.

19. In a dredge, an endless bucket excavator at the bow of the hull,laterally swinging brackets projecting from the sides of the bow, ananchoring girder swiveled to and traversing the deck, mechanism by whichthe hull is swung bodily with respect to said girder, and comprisingpower operated cables connected with said lateral brackets, and guyropes connecting said brackets with the ladder of the excavator.

20. In a dredge, a girder swiveled to the deck, spuds carried by theends of said girder, mea-ns to raise one of said spuds, and means toadvance the free end of the girder.

21. In a dredge, a girder swiveled to the deck and extending across thesame, digging spuds carried by the girder at the ends of the latter, andmeans for pulling one end of said girder in forward direction when thespud at that end is raised.

22. In a dredge, a girder swiveled to the deck and extending across thesame, digging spuds carried by the girder at the ends of the latter,means for pulling one end of said girder in forward direction when thespud at t-hat end is raised, and means at the stern of the dredge toprevent the lateral movement of the dredge though permitting itsadvance.

23. In a dredge, a girder swiveled to the deck and extending across thesame, digging spuds carried by the girder at the ends of the latter,means for pulling one end of said girder in forward direction when thespud at that end is raised, and a trailing spud at the stern of thedredge.

24. In a dredge, a girder which traverses t-he hull and is swiveledthereto, anchoring devices at opposite ends of said girder, and meansfor advancing the free end of the girder when one of such anchoringdevices is inoperative.

25. In a dredge, a girder which traverses the hull and is swiveledthereto, anchoring devices at opposite ends of said girder, and meansfor advancing the free end of the girder when one of such anchoringdevices is inoperative, comprising a power operated cable connectionbetween the end of the girder and the bow of the dredge.

lthe dredge.

26. In a dredge, a girder which extends across the hull and is swiveledto the deck, spuds carried by the opposite ends of said girder, poweroperated mechanism for raising and lowering each spud, power operatedcab-le connections between the ends of t-he girde-r and the bow of thehull, and a trailing spud at the stern of the dredge which prevents thelateral deviation of the hull during its advance.

27. In a dredge, a laterally swinging anchoring struct-ure on the deckhaving means to anchor the dredge at opposite sides of the hull, andmeans in connection with said structure to swing the dredge to and frofor traversing and to effect the advance of 28. In a dredge, a laterallyswinging anchoring structure on the deck operative to anchor the hull atopposite sides, and power operated mechanism acting in conjunction withsaid structure to traverse the dredge and also to advance t-he same.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures, in presence of witnesses.

I/VALIER FERRIS. PAUL REVERE PARKER.

Witnesses as to Walter Ferris:

FLORENCE J. BUEHLER, HARRY B. IIAYDEN. Vitnesses as to Paul It. Parker:

ADELINE COPELAND, I/VILLIAM Roscon BAssIoK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

